Sellederre Empire
Return to Geography. :... and he came upon the hill, thirsty and desperate for life, and before him saw naught but a great sea of sand and rock as far as the eye'' did stretch, and upon that land of sand and rock was a great and terrifying people'' : - Uermont the Bard, in the trials of the three brothers : : : : : : Culture Lifestyle Composed of hundreds of ancient tribes held together into loose conformity and similar goals, the Sellederre Empire is more of an idea than a self-ruling empire. Almost every town follows vastly different laws to it’s neighbour, and the southern portion of the empire is so different from its northern counterpart that one might scarcely recognise them as co-existing. It is therefore difficult to define the culture of these people. There are, however, some similarities that hold true across the entire empire. First, a deeply entrenched caste system exists in which the common folk, or mola-duj, are regarded as lesser than their noble looka-duj counterparts. Secondly, their views on the arcane arts are commonly shared: They view workers of the arcane as professionals, much in the same way other cultures view doctors or artisans. A final similarity across the empire is its language, which is the closest living language to that first spoken upon Varia, from which all others are said to take origin. Some words are in fact identical to their first language counterparts, being so ingrained into the culture that they have remained- For example, the two castes of people: Looka-duj (higher people) Mola-duj (lower people). Temperament It is impossible to attribute a single temperament to the vastly diverse peoples of the Sellederre Empire. Although the empire heralds an inordinate number of scholars, this is most likely a result of availability in education and opportunity than it is due to any kind of innate scholarly temperament. Furthermore, the relatively fragmented nature of the empire has resulted in a sense of retained tradition and community within individual subcultures which might not be seen across other empires or kingdoms. Notable Traits A high level of education is common among the looka-duj, whilst most mola-duj do receive some degree of basic education. Literacy is high among the majority of the empire, as is overall prosperity and contentment. Owing to the highly relaxed nature of governance from an imperial level, most regions have adopted vastly different laws and values to their neighbours. This has resulted in most concepts being legal somewhere within the empire, including slavery, necromancy, and even murder or theft. It is important to note, however, that aside from extreme cases, these instances are frowned upon or rarely seen. Commerce The Sellederre Empire enjoys trade across much of the known world, owing to its vast coast line, and fleet of merchant airships. Furthermore, it's hold on the Western isles of the Scattered Bay mean than extensive trade with the Longsea Trading Company is possible. Exports include: Technology, magical artefacts, gemstones, worked metals, fine produce, luxury foods. Imports include: Lumber, grains, raw goods Religion For the most part, the Old Gods are worshipped within the Sellederre Empire. This is partly due to the deep rooted history between the Sellederre Empire and the old gods, but also due to their mild distrust of all things divine: The peoples of the Sellederre Empire remember most of all cultures the pains and trials experienced as literal slaves of the old gods. As such, the majority of commonfolk view religion as best remaining an abstract concept, with worship reserved for beings which they believe to be safely dead so as to remain safely unnoticed by those deities which are still able to influence or impede their daily lives. That said, there are, and always have been, a variety of cults dedicated to the attempted revival of the old gods, including a large following of the Order of Shadows dedicated to returning Diascurom, the new God of Magic, to his physical manifestation as an Old God. Origins Lore states that the Sellederre Empire was founded during the reign of the old Gods, and existed as a collection of highly religious cities of slaves pledging themselves to the physical manifestations of those deities. It is from this time that the caste system emerged: The looka-duj were literal foremen slaves to their common mola-duj counterparts. After the period of ruination, and loss of the old deities, the people of this empire slowly adapted to free life, with commoners continuing to serve under the leadership of their looka-duj foremen. Recent History In recent times, the Sellederre Empire has adopted a open foreign policy, engaging with much trade with its neighbours to the East, such as the Long Sea Trading Company, and the Moonstone Empire. This is said to have been influenced by the current Empress, who is entering her eighty-ninth of reign, and is understandably seen as a source of great wisdom throughout the empire. Her approach to trade, although not law-binding, has inspired similar approaches across much of the empire, resulting in great prosperity. Over the past three years, the previously contained border skirmishes with the Redland Empire have erupted into all out war, the current status of which is not looking favourable for the Sellederre Empire. Although significantly larger and more prosperous than the Redland Empire, the sheer size and geographical nature of the Sellederre Empire makes troop mustering and relocation difficult. As a result, the Sellederre Empire has already lost significant ground, including the city of Valynth. It is said that the first ships to take to the air did so over the coasts of The Sellederre Empire- a likely story, considering the immense stretch of coastline, and vast network of sea trade that occupies it. Not all ships to take to the air were of Sellederre loyalty, however, and dozens of pirate vessels are said to take harbour within the nearly impassable canyons of ice, high in the Wall of the Gods. Politics Politics within the Sellederre Empire is simple: The Looka-duj rule, and the Mola-duj work. It is as it has always been, and this is so engrained within the society that few question it, let alone resist it. Ascension to the status of Looka-duj is not difficult. Marriage is often considered to be the easiest route, though one must either be rich or well established for this to be possible. Alternatively, the status of Looka-duj is occasionally requested and granted as a boon for the winner of the annual grand tournament in Vahn-Gegal. Finally, one might be awarded the title of Looka-duj through achieving feats of great benefit to the empire. The sheer number of looka-duj families are evidence enough of the ease with which one might ascend from commoner to noble within this culture, and unlike other cultures, few would consider a newly ascended Looka-duj to be in any way beneath them. The great size of the Sellederre Empire means that landless Looka-duj rarely exist, whilst the rich natural resources and difficult landscapes keep the landed Looka-duj extremely content and busy. Although political intrigue is not uncommon, it is rarely of a disruptive level. Furthermore, as there is no real level of power above the governor of a city, the position of which is often viewed as tiresome or arduous, few Lookah-duj even engage themselves in political battles, believing their time to be better spent exploiting their current resources than expanding into potentially worse areas. Geography The Sellederre Empire consists of four geographically distinct areas: That portion north of The Wall of the Gods, in which the majority of the great cities reside; That portion south of The Wall of the Gods in which the wilderness is considered more dangerous and the growth of cities is hindered by shifting terrain; The Sea of Sand across which those original tribal peoples still roam; And the coastal islands from which much trade is conducted. In each area, different powers hold influence, and one who controls much in one area may be considered only a little more powerful than a commoner in another, the exception being the “emperor”, who's guidance and wisdom allows for a greater degree of influence regardless of where they are within the empire. Northern Region Southern Region Sea of Sand Scattered Bay Coast Maps *North-West *North *North-East *South-West *South *South-East *Vahn-Gegal Return to Contents Page.